Moraes converts Valdemar Costa’s arrest into preventive

The minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Alexandre de Moraes, converted into preventive the arrest of the president of the Liberal Party (PL), Valdemar Costa, who was arrested during the operation launched by the Federal Police (PF) against former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and allies, on Thursday (8).

Valdemar was detained after the PF found a supposedly illegal weapon and a gold nugget at one of his addresses. The PL president was not the subject of an arrest warrant.

According to Valdemar’s defense, the arrest was carried out without a relevant fact. The lawyers also said that the weapon would be registered and the nugget would have a low value, which would not constitute a crime.

Moraes also gave 24 hours for the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) to comment on the request for provisional release presented by Valdemar’s defense.

Earlier, Moraes decided to keep the PL president arrested after the custody hearing.

In addition to Valdemar, Jair Bolsonaro’s former international affairs advisor, Filipe G. Martins, is also under arrest; the Army colonel and former Bolsonaro advisor, Marcelo Câmara; and the Army Special Forces major, Rafael Martins.

The other target of the PF with an arrest warrant is Army colonel, Bernardo Romão Corrêa Netto, who is in the United States, where he is on a mission. The soldier is expected to return to Brazil in the next few days as determined by the Army.

In total, the PF carried out 37 arrest, search and seizure warrants in nine states and the Federal District.

In the operation, Bolsonaro had his passport seized and was prohibited from having contact with the others investigated for alleged involvement in the acts of January 8, 2023.

The PF’s action took place one day after Bolsonaro held an event in the city of São Sebastião (SP), in which he said that “the current president [Lula] wants to censor social media […] I’m only here with you thanks to social media.”